Road rage blamed for bicyclist’s broken leg

Bail was set at $25,000 for a Lacey woman accused of breaking a bicyclist’s leg in a fit of road rage.

Hilda Ester Alarcon, 38, appeared Monday in Thurston County Superior Court on one count of second-degree assault. Arraignment was set for June 21.

Court documents give this account:

Shortly before 6:30 p.m. Friday, a bicyclist saw the driver of a black Fiat 500 run through a red light and make a right turn onto Martin Way East from Marvin Road Northeast in Hawks Prairie. The bicyclist said he yelled to the driver, “Learn how to drive.”

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The driver — later identified as Alarcon — followed the bicyclist west onto Martin Way East. Witnesses told Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies that the driver was swerving behind the bicyclist as he traveled in the bike lane.

When the bicyclist turned into a parking lot in the 7900 block of Martin Way East in an apparent attempt to get away, the driver moved to the bicyclist’s right side and forced him back onto the road.

The driver then struck the bicyclist’s back tire. The victim was thrown from the bicycle and landed in the middle of Martin Way. He suffered a compound fracture in his right leg; his shin bone had broken through the skin. Medical personnel transported the victim to Providence St. Peter Hospital.

When contacted by a deputy, Alarcon said, “I’m the driver and I’m at fault. I don’t want to give a statement.” The deputy reported that at the time of her arrest, Alarcon showed no remorse for her actions, but when she spotted damage to the side of her Fiat, she exclaimed, “Oh no, my car.”

At Monday’s hearing, prosecutors said Alarcon has no prior criminal history.